Measuring dispenser for operation by tipping



Nov. 2, 1954 w. M. ALLEN, JR

MEASURING DISPENSER FOR OPERATION BY TIPPING Filed Sept. 12, 1952 1m 'ENR m WiZZmmMHZ Zen, J7.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice MEASURING DISPENSER FOR OPERATION BY TIPPING William M. Allen, Jr., .Burkesville, Ky. Application September 12, 1952,.SerialNo. 309,340

Claims. (Cl. 222-456) This invention relates .to a :novel dispenser of extremely simple construction for. dispensing measured quantities of flawable finely divided materials such as sugar and is primarily adapted for use in conjunction with :a sugar container and from which predetermined measured quantities of sugarmay be dispensed each time the container and dispenserare'inverted.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser adapted to be .demountably contained in a container for sugar or similar finely divided flowable material and which forms a separate chamber within the container through which .a predetermined quantity of the material will flow by gravity to be dispensed when the container .and dispenser are inverted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel dispenser having a unique means for maintaining it in an applied position within a storage container with which it is employed and so that a removable cover of the storage container may be removed -for refilling of the container and re-app'lied thereto without disturbing the dispenser.

Still another object of the :invention is to provide a measuring dispenser which may be readily cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter-become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view showing the dispenser in an applied position in a container;

Figure 2 is a central vertical sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2--2 of Figure 1 and on an enlarged scale, and

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the lower portion of the dispenser and container taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the novel dispenser in its entirety and constituting the invention is designated generally 5 and comprises a tube 6 having a flared extension 7 at its lower end, the enlarged lowermost or outermost end 8 of which is open. Said flared extension 7 is provided with a plurality of short tube elements 9 having outer upper ends fixed in openings 10 of the flared extension 7 so that said tube elements open outwardly through the extension 7 and extend inwardly and downwardly, thereof. The lower inner ends of the tube elements 9 terminate in spaced apart relationship to one another and are cut off so that said inner ends 11 are disposed substantially vertically or in planes parallel to the axis of the tube 6. Said inner lower ends 11 are spaced from and disposed above the level of the open lower end 8 of said flared portion 7.

A collar 12 is disposed around and fixed to the tube 6 near to but spaced from its opposite upper end and said collar is provided with a relatively wide annular top surface 13 which extends outwardly and downwardly from the tube 6. The open upper discharge end 14 of the tube 6 is normally closed by a pivoted cover member or flap 15 which is pivotally mounted on the tube 6 by means of a pivot pin 16 which loosely engages aligned apertures of an ear 17 of the closure 15 and one or a pair of cars 18 which are fixed to and project outwardly from the upper portion of the tube 6.

The dispenser 5 is illustrated in the drawing in con junction with a conventional type of sugar container and dispenser 19 including a body portion or jar 20 and a removable dispensing cap 21. The cap 21 is detachably 2,693,301 Patented Nov. 2, 1954 connected to the open upper end of the jar 20 by a threaded connection 22 and said cap is provided with a relatively large central opening 23. The top of the cap 21 is frusto-conical in shape and has an inclination corresponding to that of the upper collar surface 13. The cap opening 23 is of suflicient diameter to permit it to pass readily over the flap or closure 15 and the pivotal connection thereof to the .tube 6. The portion of the underside of the cap 21 immediately adjacent to and surrounding the opening 23 is adapted to rest flush on the outer portion of the upper surface 13 of the collar 12 when said cap is threadedly connected to the body or jar 20 and when the open lower end 8 of the flared extension 7 is resting flush against the inner side of the bottom 24 of the jar 2t). Said jar bottom 24 thus closes the enlarged end 8 of the flared extension 7 and combines therewith to form a chamber 25 into which the tube elements 9 extend downwardly and inwardly from the openings 10. It will be readily apparent that the cap 21 may be removed from the jar 20 independently of the dispenser 5 so that the jar container 20 can be refilled with a flowable material such as sugar, after which the cap 21 is reapplied over the upperend of the tube 6 and threadedly connected at 22 to the jar 20. When thus disposed, a portion of the cap adjacent its opening 23 Will bear on the collar 12 to retain the open enlarged end 8 of the flared extension 7 in tight engagement with the inner side of the .jar bottom 24. It will also be apparent that with the cap 21 removed the dispenser 5 may be removed for cleaning and the open bottom 8 thereof enables the dispenser 5 to be thoroughly cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition.

Assuming that the dispenser 5 is in its position of Fig- I ure 2 and that the cap 21 is applied and further assuming that the jar container 20 is filled with a flowable material, not shown, such as sugar, it will be readily apparent that=a portion of the sugar within the jar 20 and surrounding the dispenser .5 will flow downwardly and inwardly through the downwardly and inwardly inclined tubes 9 into the chamber 25 until the level of the flowable material within said chamber reaches a suflicient height to cover the inner discharge ends 11 of the tubes 9 at which time no further sugar will flow into the chamber 25. Thus, the dispenser 5 will function to receive a predetermined measured quantity of sugar or other flowable material when the container 19 is disposed in its normal upright position as illustrated in Figure 2. By grasping the jar container 20 and turning it to an inverted position, the sugar or flowable material within the chamber 25 will flow by gravity from said chamber through the tube 6 and outwardly of the tube end 14. When the container 20 is inverted the flap or closure 15 will swing to an open position to expose the discharge end 14 of said tube. As the container 19 is swimg back toward its upright position the closure or flap 15 will ordinarily return to a closed position. It will likewise be readily obvious that as soon as the container 19 is swung back to its normal upright position, the chamber 25 will be refilled as previously described and with the same quantity of flowable material.

The arrangement of the tubes 9 constitutes a critical feature of the invention since said tubes not only permit a predetermined measured quantity of flowable material to enter the chamber 25 when the container 19 is in its position of Figure 2, but additionally prevents the finely divided flowable material from escaping from the chamber 25 back into the container portion surrounding the dispenser 5 when the container is inverted since as the container 19 is inverted the flowable material within the chamber 25 will initially flow away from the inner lower ends 11 of the tubes 9 and thence into the restricted portion of the extension 7 and into the tube 6, so that the flowable material within the chamber 25 will not flow outwardly through the tubes 9 when the container is inverted and thus a predetermined quantity of the material will be dispensed each time that the container is inverted. This result will additionally be insured due to the fact that the tubes 9 will be filled with flowable material which is prevented from escaping through the inner tube ends 11 into the chamber 25 by the level of the material within said chamber 25 and which closes said inner tube ends 11, and this material, which will escape outwardly from the tubes 9 back into the jar 20 when the jar is inverted, will prevent the material within the chamber 25 from flowing outwardly through the tubes 9.

Obviously, the size and shape of the flared extension 7 can be varied and the position of the tubes 9 may be varied with respect to the ends of the flared extension 7 to vary the amount of material which will be contained in and dispensed from the chamber 25 each time that the container is inverted. Likewise, the number of tubes 9 may be varied as Well as the spacing thereof so that in inverting the container 19 the material contained within the chamber 25 will initially flow away from the inner end 11 of each tube.

Various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A measuring dispenser for a finely divided flowable material comprising an elongated tube adapted to be detachably disposed in an upright container and having an upper discharge end adapted to extend outwardly of the container through an opening in a removable closure cap of the container, said tube being provided with a flared extension at its opposite lower end and forming the lower end of the dispenser, said flared extension having an enlarged lower end adapted to bear against the bottom of the container, and at least one tube element having an outer end mounted in and opening outwardly of a portion of said flared extension and communicating with the portion of the container surrounding said flared extension, said tube element extending inwardly and downwardly and having an inner end opening into the interior of said flared extension near the axial center thereof.

2. A measuring dispenser as in claim 1, and a collar fixed to and surrounding the tube near its upper discharge end, said collar bearing against a portion of the underside of the container cap which surrounds the opening thereof for maintaing the enlarged lower end of the flared extension in engagement with the container bottom.

3. A measuring dispenser for granulated material comprising a tube adapted to be disposed substantially axially in a storage container for a granulated material and having a discharge end adapted to extend outwardly through an opening in a removable closure cap of the container, said dispenser including a flared extension at the opposite lower end of the tube, said flared extension having an enlarged outer end bearing against the inner side of the container bottom, and a plurality of tube elements mounted in and supported by said flared extension, each of said tube elements having an outer end secured to and opening outwardly of the flared extension, said tube elements extending inwardly and downwardly from their outer ends and having inner ends opening into the flared extension adjacent the axis of the dispenser.

4. A measuring dispenser as in claim 3, the inner adjacent ends of said inwardly. and downwardly inclined tube elements being disposed in planes substantially parallel to the axis of the dispenser and spaced from the ends of said flared extension.

5. A measuring dispenser as in claim 3, the enlarged outer end of said flared extension being open and being closed by engagement with the container bottom to combine therewith to define a measuring chamber into which said tube elements extend, the discharge end of said tube extending loosely through the closure cap opening, and said tube having a collar fixed thereto and spaced from its discharge end, said collar bearing against the inner side of said closure cap around the opening thereof to maintain the enlarged end of the flared extension against the container bottom, said flared extension combining with the container bottom to define a measuring chamber into which the tube elements extend.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,280,654 Bream Oct. 8, 1918 1,941,745 Higley Jan. 2, 1934 

